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PRODUCER EDUCATION UPDATE
from 2021 Fall Directions
by NCBA
PRODUCER EDUCATION
Creating Opportunities for Learning and Continuous Improvement
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Cattle producers are continuously looking to improve everyday practices on the farm or ranch and tell their beef production story to consumers. It is more important than ever for producers to have the most up-to-date information and resources. This is where the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, a contractor to the Beef Checkoff, Producer Education and Sustainability team comes into play. The Producer Education team oversees two Beef Checkofffunded programs, the Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program, and the Masters of Beef Advocacy (MBA) program. Additionally, the team manages the Cattlemen’s College program, Cattlemen’s Webinar Series, the Stockmanship & Stewardship program, the Rancher Resilience Grant and the development and distribution of the Integrated Resource Management Redbook. Serving as the administrator for the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef is also an important role of the team. Now let’s take a deeper dive into how these programs are serving you and how you can engage. Beef Quality Assurance The Beef Checkoff-funded national Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program, started in 1991, improves and enhances the desirability of beef by educating producers on best management practices to improve beef quality and provide consumers with a safe, wholesome and healthy beef supply. The nationally-coordinated, state-implemented program partners with BQA state coordinators across the country to organize and execute BQA training opportunities. Not only can producers and transporters attend in-person trainings, certification can also be accomplished in the comfort of your own home. The BQA online modules provide a way for people to get certified anytime at no-cost. The online modules take two to three hours to complete and are a convenient way to learn. Once an account is created, producers and transporters have full access to all the modules. The online system saves your progress in the module so you can easily pick up where you left off, and your account also stores your BQA certificates for easy access.
The combination of training and certification modules, new partnerships for expanded reach of the BQA program, and the diligent efforts of state BQA coordinators has increased the number of documented certifications and reached hundreds of thousands of beef producers. In 2017, the BQA program formed a partnership with and began recognizing the National Milk Producer Federation’s Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) program as an equivalent to BQA certification for dairy producers. Working with the FARM program, BQA information and priorities were added to the FARM 3.0 evaluation as well as a new annual Employee Training requirement. BQA training, as well as other dairy specific quality assurance training programs, satisfies this requirement. The NCBA Producer Education team continues to work with FARM to develop sector relevant training resources. Also in 2017, BQA established a partnership with the Youth for
the Quality Care of Animals (YQCA) program as meeting the guidelines for BQA certification. This program is a joint effort of various livestock groups to provide a multi-species youth quality assurance training and certification platform. Because BQA did not have a youth program, this filled a gap in programming with age-appropriate educational material. These partnerships allow the BQA program to offer better educational opportunities for those in the dairy industry as well as youth under the age of 21 who raise and handle cattle. Calf Care and Quality Assurance More recently, the BQA team is working with the National Dairy FARM program, the Dairy Calf and Heifer Association, and national Veal Quality Assurance, to develop a suite of resources for farmers and ranchers who raise calves intended for dairy and/ or beef production systems. The Calf Care & Quality Assurance (CCQA) program, partially funded by the Beef Checkoff, recently released a manual which highlights best management practices for those raising calves. In addition to the manual, the CCQA program offers resources specific to the needs of calf raisers such as protocol templates and animal observation scoring reference guides. Online and in-person opportunities for individuals looking to be CCQA-certified, as well as a facility self-assessment, will be available later this year. Information and resources for the CCQA program can be found at www.calfcareqa.org. Daily Biosecurity Plan The BQA program also recently developed a Daily Biosecurity Plan for Disease Prevention template. The template, which helps cattle producers implement daily biosecurity measures on their operations, is available digitally as a PDF or can be printed for handwritten plans. The template was specifically designed to be customizable, giving producers flexibility in determining management practices that work best for their operation and covers everything from animal movement to worker training. In addition to providing basic information, the tool emphasizes why biosecurity is vital on cattle operations and provides an opportunity for producers to converse with their herd veterinarians, extension agents and state BQA coordinators about biosecurity preparedness. The Daily Biosecurity Plan for Disease Prevention template was created in collaboration with the national Secure Beef Supply plan which was created so that our industry is prepared in case of a Foreign Animal Disease outbreak. By intersecting these resources, producers who already have biosecurity steps in place for day-to-day operations can easily create an enhanced biosecurity plan to prepare for a potential foreign animal disease.
BQA Advanced Education Modules
BQA has also developed and released the first of several planned Advanced Education Modules. Don’t know where to start in completing the Daily Biosecurity Plan for Disease prevention mentioned above? This initial module, focused on biosecurity, will deliver details on the basics of disease transmission and prevention practices. It was developed so anyone who is involved in raising cattle — from the operation manager to personnel to family members — can understand how biosecurity principles are integrated into their farm or ranch and plan for continuous improvement in the future. Interactive and real-world examples are provided for a variety of topics such as new bull or replacement purchases and manure management to reducing feed contamination. Best of all, as part of the training, producers can fill out the Daily Biosecurity Plan for Disease prevention and walk away with an operation specific biosecurity plan.
HELP US
HELP YOU APPLY TODAY!
Anytime you leave the ranch it’s a big investment of your time and energy. That’s why the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, in partnership with Cargill and the National Cattlemen’s Foundation, developed the Rancher Resilience Grant to help make it even easier by funding registration and housing costs for top education events like these:
Oct. 14 – 15, 2021
Oct. 22 – 23, 2021
Stockmanship & Stewardship Bowling Green, KY
Nov. 6 – 8, 2021
2021 Angus Convention Fort Worth, TX
Nov. 31, 2021
Dec. 6 – 9, 2021
Grazing Lands Conference Myrtle Beach, SC
Jan. 31 – Feb. 1, 2022
Cattlemen’s College at the Cattle Industry Convention Houston, TX
(available when Convention Registration opens Nov. 1)
Just visit NCBA.org – hit the “Producers” tab and look for Rancher Resilience Grant. There you’ll find all the info you need to apply for a Grant, as well the requirements to receive reimbursement.
As mentioned above all the producer-friendly resources available from BQA can be accessed on our website. To learn more about the BQA program, becoming BQA certified or to contact your BQA state coordinator, visit www.bqa.org National Beef Quality Audit How do we, at NCBA, check to see if BQA is making a difference? How do we know we are being progressive as an industry? The answers are revealed in the Checkoff-funded National Beef Quality Audit (NBQA). Conducted about every five years since 1991, the NBQA is a comprehensive survey that evaluates beef industry efforts to improve beef quality. It serves as a beef industry “scorecard” and tracks where we are as an industry in relation to beef quality. The NBQA also helps evaluate the effectiveness of the BQA program and informs any updates to the educational resources produced by the program. Results of the most recent 2016 NBQA are available on the BQA website. Currently, we are in the process of collecting in-plant data and hosting interviews of large beef buyers for the latest version of the NBQA with a projected release date of 2023. Masters of Beef Advocacy Program To become an MBA graduate, students complete five modules covering environmental sustainability, beef nutrition, animal welfare and beef safety while talking through the beef lifecycle. Upon completion, advocates gain access to a variety of continuing education resources. These range from online courses, delving deeper into specific topics such as beef sustainability and nutrition, to in-person top advocate training, and more. Graduates are also invited to join the Masters of Beef Advocacy Alumni Facebook group, a virtual community for MBA graduates to ask questions and get connected to the latest advocacy resources.
Over the years, the MBA program hit many milestones, including 15,000 MBA graduates in 2019, launching MBA NextGen this year, and creating the Advocate of the Year Award, to recognize outstanding beef advocates. This past year, we recognized Kiah Twisselman Burchett for her work in sharing her beef story on social media and her efforts in reaching consumers. If it has been a while since you first became an MBA graduate or if you have not explored MBA before, head to www.mastersofbeefadvocacy. com to learn more and get involved!
The Checkoff-funded MBA program was created 12 years ago as a self-directed, online training program to equip and engage beef advocates to communicate about beef production with consumers. This past year was exciting for the MBA program because of the launch of MBA NextGen, the next generation of beef advocacy training. Cattlemen’s College
Expanding Your Advocacy Influence panel discussion at Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Tradeshow. Delivered annually at the Cattle Industry Convention and NCBA Trade Show, sponsored by Zoetis, the mission of Cattlemen’s College is to provide cutting-edge information to the beef industry to improve profitability, sustainability and management practices for each sector. This two-day program hosts more than 1,000 cattle producers from across the country and has become the cattle industry’s number one resource providing education and advice for improving all segments of cattle production. Stimulating and thought-provoking sessions help generate positive impacts for cattle operations, as well as spark discussions leading to innovation and advancement in our rapidly changing industry. The Producer Education team works hard to ensure these sessions are delivered by industry-leading experts from academia, business, and fellow farmers and ranchers. Topics are selected through a “call for speakers” process and submissions are reviewed by a working group of cattlemen and women, business leaders, and academia. Cattlemen’s College has maintained its reputation as one of the most respected educational cattle events in the U.S. by providing attendees with a wide range of timely topics. Make plans now to attend the 2022 Cattlemen’s College in Houston where topics include cattle genetics, reproduction, nutrition, cattle health and other trending subjects.
We realize it is impossible for producers to see every session at this content-packed event, which is why we record sessions and make them available for attendees to view after the event. To learn more about Cattlemen’s College visit the Cattlemen’s College page under the “Producers” tab on www.NCBA.org.
PRODUCERS TAB
Cattlemen’s Webinar Series The Cattlemen’s Webinar Series brings educational opportunities to the producer’s operation. These webinars reach thousands of cattlemen each year in a unique format that allows for audience interaction with presenters. Leading industry speakers from across the country present the latest information on topics ranging from grazing and risk management to genetic improvement. This year the Cattlemen’s Webinar series produced a three-part grazing management series, a policy update and a webinar discussing how producers can utilize hedging as a form of protection. For those that cannot attend “live”, the sessions are recorded and are always available – just visit the “Producers” tab at www.NCBA.org. Stockmanship and Stewardship With the ever-growing importance of practicing proper stockmanship principles, NCBA developed the Stockmanship and Stewardship program. The program, now in its fifth year, has reached new heights thanks to a partnership with Merck Animal Health. Beyond the demonstrations that have reached thousands of producers across the countryside, the program hosts multi-day regional events each year that draw larger crowds and provide attendees opportunities to interact with clinicians and learn during both live demonstrations and classroom sessions. Attendees also can become BQA certified at every event. The Stockmanship and Stewardship program is partly sponsored by the National BQA program which is funded by the Beef Checkoff. This year the Stockmanship and Stewardship tour visits Elko, Nev; Durango, Colo.; Danville, Ind.; and Bowling Green, Ky. A schedule of the events and more information can be found at www. stockmanshipandstewardship.org. NCBA Integrated Resource Management Redbook Keeping records on a cattle operation is vital. That is why the Producer Education team produces the NCBA Integrated Resource Management Redbook annually. This pocket-sized, low cost, high value recordkeeping tool has been used by cattle producers for more than 30 years to record daily production efforts effectively and efficiently. The book has more than 100 pages to record calving activity, herd health, pasture usage, cattle inventory, body condition, AI breeding and more. It contains a Producers Guide for Judicious Use of Antimicrobials in Cattle, Beef Quality Assurance management practices and proper injection technique information. More than 75,000 copies of this book are sold every year to businesses and producers around the U.S. The 2022 Redbook will be available online early October. Visit store.NCBA.org to purchase your copy. Rancher Resilience Grant Now Available A new program just released in the past few months – the Ranchers Resilience Grant was designed to support cattle producer attendance at impactful education events. Specifically, attendees can apply to receive reimbursement for registration and hotel expenses at approved events by visiting the “Producers” tab at www.NCBA.org.
CONGRATULATIONS
on induction to the 2021 Cattle Feeders Hall of Fame From your friends, family and employees at Bar-G Feedyard
A few examples of events already approved and available for producers to apply for grant support this fall include King Ranch Institute for Ranch Management Sustainable Ranching Symposium, CattleFax Outlook & Strategies Seminar, National Grazing Lands Conference and more events are being added each month. The grants are made possible by a partnership between the National Cattlemen’s Foundation and Cargill Protein and are administered by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. NCBA Sustainability Policy Initiatives NCBA acts as administrator for the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (USRSB) and is also a USRSB member. The USRSB is a multi-stakeholder initiative formed in 2015 focused on supporting beef production needs of today, while improving the ability of tomorrow’s beef value chain to responsibly meet the needs of consumers in the future. With the support of the Producer Education team and many other ranchers, retailers, foodservice operators, land grant universities and packers, the USRSB developed a sustainability framework for the beef industry. The voluntary tools focus on maximizing profitability while prioritizing care of land, animals and people.
Apart from implementation on operations throughout the beef supply, these tools can help producers discover ways to better communicate the positive work done on their farm or ranch. The framework drills down into air, soil and water quality; animal health; employee safety and operational viability. It highlights an individual operation’s unique role in sustainability. Please visit Since the launch of the U.S. Beef Industry Sustainability Framework, the USRSB has developed a comprehensive series of sustainability modules. Modules are sector-specific and are currently available for cow-calf/stocker/backgrounder, auction markets, feedyards and packers/processors. The modules contribute to the USRSB’s mission to advance, support and communicate continuous improvement of sustainability across the U.S. beef value chain and act as part of the USRSB framework outreach program. Each module series has multiple interactive videos covering topics relating to the respective sector. These resources are not just for owners and managers but can be used by any individual who plays a role in the beef supply chain. Visit www.usrsb.org/resources for more information.
Today, the USRSB has begun a goals-setting process to advance the continuous improvement of the U.S. beef industry. This process aligns with the USRSB’s mission and vision to advance the U.S. beef industry’s sustainability in a meaningful way. This effort will set credible goals for the industry and practical targets for each sector of the value chain, helping the USRSB reach their vision of becoming the trusted global leader in environmentally sound, socially responsible and economically viable beef.
To learn more about the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, please visit www.usrsb.org.
PUT YOUR PERKS TO WORK! MEMBER BENEFITS
Proudly representing the cattle industry on Capitol Hill for more than 100 years, NCBA continues to represent America’s cattle industry by:
• Defending cattlemen’s private property rights against overreaching governmental regulations • Protecting cattlemen’s family legacies with estate tax relief • Adding value to cattle and beef by working to open international markets • Delivering cutting edge producer education opportunities to improve cattlemen’s bottom lines • Constantly watching for potential threats from animal rights groups
